How Politically Literate Are You?

What does this political literacy assessment measure?

This assessment covers five dimensions of political literacy, drawing on two validated bodies of research. The first four dimensions are built on the Political Skill Inventory developed by Gerald Ferris and colleagues (2005): reading the room (how accurately you interpret people and situations), influencing intentionally (how you adapt your approach for different people and contexts), having the relationships that matter (how strategically placed your network is), and landing as you intend (how accurately your intent is received). The fifth dimension draws on Daniel Goleman's emotional intelligence framework: working from solid ground (the inner stability that makes political navigation sustainable and ethical).

How long does the political literacy assessment take?

Around 10 minutes for 25 questions. The questions ask you to reflect on patterns in your professional behaviour, so it is worth reading each one carefully before responding. Results are generated immediately after you submit.

What do my assessment results tell me?

Your results give you two things: an overall political literacy level (Early Stage, Developing, Building, or Established) and a per-dimension breakdown across all five areas. The per-dimension scores are often more useful than the overall score. They show you where your political literacy is well developed and where the specific gaps are. That specificity is what makes the next steps practical rather than general.

Is political literacy about becoming more political?

No. Political literacy is defined here as the ability to see how power and influence actually move through an organisation, and to make deliberate choices about how to engage with that system. It is not about becoming more political. It is about becoming more fluent. People who are highly politically literate tend to navigate with more integrity, not less, because they understand what is happening around them rather than being repeatedly caught off guard.

Is this assessment based on research?

Yes. The first four dimensions are built on the Political Skill Inventory (PSI), developed by Gerald Ferris and colleagues (2005) and validated across multiple industries and cultures. It is the most rigorously validated measure of political skill in organisational behaviour research. The fifth dimension draws on Daniel Goleman's work on emotional intelligence and self-regulation (1995, 1998), alongside Ferris's later work on the ethical dimension of political skill.